Learning from beavers to stem the River Severn floods

There have been eight named storms this winter alone and the barriers have been up frequently in the last 12 months in towns including Bewdley, Ironbridge and Shrewsbury.

But barriers are not the perfect answer. While they protect communities, they actually act to keep water in the river, often leading to issues for communities further downstream.

So what if something could be done to slow up the River Severn before it even arrives in towns across Shropshire and Wyre Forest?

That is exactly what is planned through the Severn Valley Management Scheme.

It wants to use techniques that already happen naturally, such replicating natural 'leaky dams' that are created by beavers and that act to slow up the flow of water. Extensive tree planting can also help reduce the flow, as the creation of man-made meanders, so that straight fast-flowing stretches of the Severn are instead twisted. The management of flood plains and catchment areas are also techniques that can be adopted, catching flood waters upstream before they can damage populated areas.

It sounds good in theory, but a small matter of £500 million plan must be found if a proper plan to prevent flooding the length of the River Severn is to become a reality.

The Environment Agency is on board. It has a large section reserved on its website to the Severn Valley Management Scheme, pointing out that the amount of water that is needed to be managed equates to 26,000 Olympic size swimming pools, 43 Principality Stadiums or 57 Wembleys.

But the EA also says that it hopes to start work in 2023, which points to the fact that getting the money hasn't been as easy as was perhaps hoped.

Now political pressure is cranking up, with MPs representing constituencies along the Severn banding together to lobby for the funding.

Shrewsbury MP Daniel Kawczynski has had talks with the Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, about the business plan for the 'holistic' approach to stopping the now annual misery of flooding.

He has hosted members of the Treasury on a boat ride through the Shropshire county town in order to explain the challenge ahead and there are hopes that there may be some kind of announcement in the upcoming Spring Budget.

The MP agrees the £500 million plan was a "mind-blowing" sum of money but said the results would be "transformational". And he said the benefits it would bring would more than make up for the spending.

At the centre of the plan is paying farmers and landowners to store water upstream on, Mr Kawcyznski said, uninhabited land.

The MP said it would include land in Wales, from where flood waters always originate, and said talks were already taking place with Welsh authorities.

Mr Kawczynski said £50 million had already been secured to look at the holistic solution to managing Britain's longest river and the formal request for £500 million had now been submitted.

He added: "The small flood systems we have used over the years simply push the problems downstream. The business plan involves paying farmers to hold on to water."

"And we can pay landowners to store that water. I agree is is a mind blowing amount of money but there would be a massive economic benefit.

"It would reduce insurance costs for homeowners and businesses and mean others could get insurance. It would allow land to be built on, that in the past has been at risk for flooding and it would bring an end to the huge amounts of money used to clean up after flooding."

Mr Kawcyznski said the plan had been four years in the making, since the floods of 2019 in Shrewsbury and other towns along the Severn.

"When I saw how many businesses in Coleham were devastated by the frequency of flooding I knew it had to be resolved," he said.

"The business plan is ready to sent to the treasury and I believe that this approach could be used not only elsewhere in this country but across the world."

The Environment Agency says the River Severn is a enormous resource to the region, but that it is essential it is managed properly.

In its plan document, it states: "The River Severn forms an integral part of life for those who live around it. Over the years it has been a haven for wildlife, an essential transport route, a great place for leisure activities and a vital source of water for people living and working in its catchment.

"Those who live with the Severn, know that for all its benefits, it also comes with its challenges. There is a long history of flooding along the River Severn and those who live and work in the area know all too well that the impacts can be devastating. As well as affecting homes and businesses, impacts to transport and commuter routes in and around settlements can be significantly disrupted.

"The floods that occurred in the winter of 2019/20 resulted in approximately 1,600 homes across the River Severn catchment being flooded, causing significant damage and creating a lasting impact on the local economy. Similar flood events were experienced in 2021 and in 2022, and three of the five largest flood events experienced on the upper and middle Severn have occurred in the last three years. Though existing defences along the River Severn prevented a further 14,500 homes from being flooded, many communities and urban centres still remain at risk."

The Environment Agency says it is in contact with "stakeholders across the catchment" and will start to formalise the programme of measures being considered.

It adds: "These measures could include engineered solutions such as the construction of flood walls and embankments.

"It may also involve natural flood risk management measures that slow the flow of water upstream such as tree planting or the creation of leaky dams; alternative farming and land management practices; operating reservoirs in a different way; and other storage options across the catchment.

"We are also working closely with Severn Trent Water and Water Resources West, to identify opportunities for securing future water resources within the catchment.